#05 Atwood’s Machine

Semester 1 – #05 Atwood’s Machine

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Bin Contents: 2 50-gram mass hangars, 90-deg clamp, a pair of connected pulleys, a table clamp, and a stopwatch.


Obtain a long metal rod.


Obtain approx 2.0 meters worth of string (1.5 meters is actually not enough string).


The proper way to connect the clamp to the table.


The rod should be vertical; try to keep it from leaning either forward or backward.


Attach the pulleys to the rod via the 90-deg clamp.


The pulleys should be vertical and parallel to each other (this may require adjustment either to the way the pulleys are connected to each other or to the 90-deg clamp).


The only masses required for the experiment: 2 500-grams, a 20-, 10-, and 5-gram mass.


Tie tie the string to the hangars then place the string onto the pulleys.


The height of 125 cm is with respect to the floor and the bottom of any hangar; the masses were removed from the hanger to emphasize that it’s the very bottom of the hanger that must be 125 cm over the floor.